Lauren and Cheryl blinked at one another for a moment. John. They searched their memories in synchronized silence. Had Sammy mentioned a John before? Usually she talked about Kira or Laila or Aislinn, although Lauren was somewhat confident that John had been at least mentioned once or twice. Still, if they were expecting another member at their table, they would’ve bet on one of the girls Sammy talked about. They smiled anyway, of course. Any friend of their daughter’s was more than welcome at their table.

“Nice to meet you, John,” Lauren smiled. “I’m Lauren, and this is my wife, Cheryl.” She nodded to the brunette beside her as appropriate.

“I’m Sammy,” the Pecari announced. Grinning, she looked around at her odd company. “I just wanted to be included. Anyway, I told John he could fill in for Ethan, so like, make sure you embarrass him. He’s one of the family tonight!””

“Sounds good,” Cheryl nodded. She took a deep breath and prepared herself. “Are you dating anyone, young man?”

“Oh my god, please don’t actually do this,” Lauren laughed. Sammy, too, settled into the throes of laughter, although she was louder and far more rambunctious. They calmed soon enough, remembering that there was a performance about to begin, and Lauren spoke again, repressing a second wave of laughter as she noticed their daughter wiping away tears. “But no, seriously, we won’t be that mean. You’re free to share, of course, but we won’t pry.”

Julian had worn yellow. It was not a loud shade of yellow, he thought – to the extent he was good at telling shades of the same color apart – but that just meant it made more of a contrast with her... more

There was something peculiar, John thought, about Sammy’s family – not the obvious, that Lauren was using the word ‘wife’ in a very different sense than John would use the word, something else. It... more